Access ports are widely used in medical procedures to gain access to anatomical cavities ranging in size from the abdomen to small blood vessels, such as veins and arteries, epidural, pleural and subarachnoid spaces, heart ventricles, and spinal and synovial cavities. The use of access ports has become more common as they provide minimally invasive techniques for establishing a portal for a number of procedures, such as those involving the abdominal cavity.
Many of these types of procedures involve insufflation of the abdominal cavity with CO2 gas to increase interior space for a surgical procedure. This is often achieved using an additional port to allow gas to be passed into a body cavity to provide pressure therein to maintain insufflation of the cavity. One challenge facing surgeons when using these access ports is achieving initial insertion of the access ports through tissue and into a body cavity, especially in the case of an access port that is flexible. This can be made even more difficult before the body cavity is inflated as there are organs and other vital structures that can be directly adjacent the puncture site where the access port is inserted through the tissue and it is necessary to prevent damage to these organs during insertion of the ports.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and devices for providing access into a body cavity.